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May 2012 Current Events: U.S. News

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of May 2012.

Gingrich Ends GOP Nomination Campaign (May 2):Newt Gingrich official ends his campaign for the GOP nomination. Gingrich makes the announcement during an appearance in Arlington, Virginia. In the speech, Gingrich says, "Suspending the campaign does not mean suspending citizenship." He throws his weight behind Romney, saying there is no choice between Romney and Obama who he calls, "the most radical American president in history."

North Carolina Votes to Ban Gay Marriage (May 8): North Carolina passes an amendment to ban gay marriage by a margin of more than twenty percent. By doing so, North Carolina becomes the 30th state in the U.S. to include an anti-gay marriage amendment in its constitution.

President Obama Declares Support for Gay Marriage (May 9): During an interview at the White House with ABC's Robin Roberts, President Obama declares his support for gay marriage for the first time. Regarding the issue, he says, "I've just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." With the declaration, Obama becomes the first U.S. president to back gay marriage while in office.

White Births Are No Longer the Majority (May 17): The Census Bureau releases data stating that over a 12-month period, which ended in July 2011, Asians, blacks, Hispanics and mixed races made up 50.4 percent of all births, becoming a majority for the first time in the history of the United States. The largest single share of total births still belongs to whites with 49.6 percent. Also, according to the Census Bureau, whites remain the majority in the overall U.S. population at 63.4 percent.